Race Data and Traffic Stops in Ottawa, 2013?2015: A Report submitted to Ottawa Police Services Board and Ottawa Police Service
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353
APPendIx
Race Data and Traffic Stops
in Ottawa, 2013–2015
A Report submitted to
Ottawa Police Services Board
and Ottawa Police Service
. , . , & .
October, 2016
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Executive Summary 354
PART I
PROJECT FINDINGS
Introduction 358
Data Collection 360
Research Findings on Ot tawa 361
Section A: Incidences of Traffic Stops 361
Section B: Reasons for Traffic Stops 369
Section C: Outcomes of Traffic Stops 372
A More Integrated Picture 375
Conclusion 377
Recommendations 379
PART II
TECHNICAL NOTES
Note 1: Race Categories 381
Note 2: Methodology 382
Note 3: Ottawa Police Service’s Traffic Stops D ata Set 387
Racial Pr ofiling and Human Rights in Canad a
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This report provides a city overview of the findings of the Ottawa Police
Service’s Traffic Stop Race Data Collection Project (TSRDCP), a pion-
eering community-based research project that involved undertaking
the largest race based data collection in Canadian policing history. The
project arose from an agreement between the Ontario Human Rights
Commission (OHRC), the Ottawa Police Services Board (B oard), and the
Ottawa Police Service (OPS). The OHRC and the OPS believe that race-
based data collection is part of an organizational approach to ensuring
bias-neutral policing services. Full information regarding the agreement
is available online at ottawapolice.ca/race.
The Traffic Stop Race Data Collection Project required police officers
to record their perception of the driver’s race, by observation only, for
traffic stops over a two-year period from June 27, 2013 to June 26, 2015. A
total of 81,902 records of traffic stops were examined for this report. Each
record included complete information on race, sex and age, along with
complete information on police districts, reasons for traffic stops and out-
comes. The record did not include the time of day nor the neighbourhood
where the stop occurred. The officers entering the race data reported per-
ceiving the race of the driver prior to the stop in 11.4% of the cases.
This research project addresses three issues:
INCIDENCES OF TRAFFIC STOPS – Do drivers of different race groups
have disproportionately high incidences of traffic stops, when compared
with their respective driver populations in Ottawa? Research findings
showed that:
• The study examines 81,902 traffic stops where officers recorded
their perception of the driver’s race: 69.3% W hite (56,776), 12.3%
Middle Easterner (10,066), 8.8% Black (7,238), 4.7% E.Asian/SE
Asian (3,875), 2.7% S. Asian (2,195), 1.9% Other racialized minorities
(1,545), and .3% Indigenous Peoples (207).
• In Ottawa, Middle Easterner and Black groups, irrespective of
their sex and age, are the two race groups with disproportionate-
ly high incidences of traffic stops. Middle Easterner Drivers were
stopped 10066 times, which constituted about 12.3% of the total
stops over the two year period. However, these drivers represent
less than 4% of the total driving population in Ot tawa. This means
that Middle Easterner Drivers were stopped 3.3 times more than
what you would expect based on their population. Black Drivers
were stopped 7238 times, which constituted about 8.8% of the
Appendi x: Race Data and Traffic Stops in Ot tawa, 2013–2015
total stops over the two-year period. However, these drivers rep-
resent less than 4% of the total driving population in Ottawa . This
means that Black Drivers were stopped 2.3 times more than what
you would expect based on their population.
• With the exception of Indigenous peoples, men aged 16-24 of all
race groups (including White) have disproportionately high in-
cidences of traffic stops. The disproportionalities ranged from
64.21% (E. A sian/ S.E. Asian) to 1100.39% (Middle Easterner).
• Middle Easterner Male Drivers aged 16-24 were stopped 2302
times, which constituted about 2.8% of the total stops over the
two year period. However, these drivers represent less than 0.25%
of the total driving population in Ottawa . This means that young
Middle Easterner male drivers were stopped 12 times more than
what you would expect based on their population. Black Male Driv-
ers aged 16-24 were stopped 1238 times, which constituted about
1.5% of the total stops over the two year period. However, these
drivers represent less than 0.2% of the total driving population in
Ottawa. This means t hat young Black male drivers were stopped
8.3 times more than what you would expect based on their popu-
lation. White Male Drivers aged 16-24 were stopped 6172 times,
which constituted about 7.5% of the total stops over the two year
period. However, these drivers represent about 4.3% of the total
driving population in Ottawa . This means that young White male
drivers were stopped 1.7 times more than what you would expect
based on their population.
REASONS FOR TRAFFIC STOPS – Do racia lized minority drivers ex-
perience disproportionately high incidences of specific reasons for traffic
stops when compared with their White counterparts in Ot tawa? Re-
search findi ngs showed that:
• The findings showed that the reason most used by police officers
in traffic stops is “provincial and municipal offenses”. It was used
in 79,603 of the 81, 902 tra ffic stops (97.19%). Police officers did
not utilize “provincial and municipal offenses” for traffic stops in
a disproportional manner for any racial minority groups.
• When compared with the White group, “crimina l offences” reason
has been used disproportionately by police officers for five of the six
racialized minority groups. The data is inconclusive about Indigen-
ous peoples with regard to this issue because the number of stops
citing “criminal offenses” was too low to draw any conclusions.
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